Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-09-24
CHAPTER XII.
THE SISTER QUEENS.

The big rowing boat glided on up the cut
ting that ran almost to The foot OF tho vast
stairway, and then halted at a flight Of steps
leading to the landing place. Here the old
gentleman ~disembarked, and invited us to do
likewise, which, having no alternative. and
being nearly starved, we did without hesita-
tion-taking our rifles with us, however. As
each Of us landed, u guide again laid his
fingers on his lips in salutation and bowed
deeply, at the same tirne ordering back the
crowds who Ind assembled togaze on us. The
last to leave the canoe was the girl we had
picked out Of the water, for whom her com.
panion was waiting. Before she went away she
kissed my hand, l suppose as a token of graft
tude for having saved her from the fury of
the hippopotamus; and it seers d to me that sho
had by this time quite got over any fear sho
may have had Of US, and was ly no means
anxious to return in such a hurry TO her law
full owners. At any rate. she was going to
kiss Goods hand as well as mine, when
the young man interfered and led her
of. As soon as we were on shore a
number Of the men who had rowed tho
big boat took possession Of our few goods
and chattels, and started with them up
the splendid staircase, our guide indicating to
us by means Of motions that the things were
perfectly safe. This done, he turned to tho
right and led the way to a small house, which
was, as | afterward discovered, aninn. Enter
ing into q good sized room, we saw that a
wooden table was already furnished with
food, presumably in preparation for us. Here
our guide motioned us to be seated on a bench
that ran the length OF the table. We did not
require a second invitation, but at once fell
too ~ravenously on the yiands before us, which
were served on wooden platters, and consisted
Of cold goats flesh, wrapped up in some kind
ofileaf that gave it q delicious flavor, green
vegetables resembling ~lettaces, brown bread
and red wine poured from d skin into horn
mugs. This wine was peculiarly soft and
good, having something Of the flavor Of Bur-
gundy. Twenty minutes after we sat down
at that ospitable board we rose from It feel
ing like new men. After all that we had
gone through we needed two things. food and
rest, n the food of itself was q great bless
ing to lis. Two girls Of the same charming
cast Of face as the first whom we had seen
waited on us while we ate, and very nicely
they did it. They were also dressed in the
same fashion, namely, in a white linen petit
coat coming to the knee, and with the togo
like garment OF brown cloth, leaving bare the
right arm and breast. ! afterward found out
that this was the national dress, and iegu-
lated by an iron custom, though, Of course,
subject to variations. Thus, If the petticoat
was pure white, it signi1ed that the wearer
was unmarried; if white, with a straight pur-
pie stripe round the edge, that she was mar
ried and q first or legai wife; IL with a wayy
purple stripe, that she was q second or other
wife; if with a black stripe, that she was a
widow. ia the same way the toga, or 'kaff,s
as they oall it, was of different shades OF
color, froh pure white to the deepest brown,
according TO the rank of the wearer, and en-
broidered at the end in various ways. This
also applies to the Shirts or TUNES, worn by
the men, which varied in material and color;
but the kilts were always the same except as
regards quality. One thing, however, every
man and woman in the country wore as the
national insignia, and that was the thick
band of gold round the right arm above the
elbow and the left leg beneath the knee.
People of high rank also wore q torque Of
gold round the neck, and I observed that our
guide had one On. NaHhaf3.
So soon as we had finished our meal our
teneIduio CVhuuCtOIf VINO udu Decu SANDING
all the while, regarding US with inquiring
eyes, and our guns with something as like
fear as his pride would allow him to show,
bowed towards Good, whom he evidently
took for the leader of the party on account Of
the splendor OF his apparel, and once more
led the way through the door and to the foot
OF the great staircase. Here we paused for a
moment to admire two colossal lions, each
hewn from q single block of pure black
marble, and standing rampant on the termi-
nations of the wide halustrades Of the stair
case.
On he went up the first flight Of 100 steps,
across the broad platform joining 1t to the
second fight, where we paused to admire the
glorious view &c one Of the most beautiful
stretches Of country that the world can show,
edged by the blue waters Of the lake. Then
we passed on up this till at last we reached
the top, where we found a large standing
space to which there were three entrances, al
Of small size. Two Of these opened ON "a
rather narrow galleries or roadways cut IN
the face Of the precipice that ran round the
palace walls and led to the principal thor
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